Notes and Editorial Reviews

Dvorak's three-act opera is based on two fairy tales and tells the story of a water-nymph, Rusalka, yearning to become human because she has fallen in love with a mortal. David Pountney's highly acclaimed production for English National Opera explores the deeper level of this fairy tale, transforming a pretty story into a penetrating study of childish day dreams. The water-glade becomes an Edwardian nursery and Rusalka, a young girl on the threshold of sexual maturity. Longing to be liberated into the dangerous and fascinating world of adults, she peoples her real world with the creatures of her imagination - her governess becomes a witch, her grandfather the Spirit of the Waters and her sisters the water-nymphs Dvorak's three-act opera is based on two fairy tales and tells the story of a water-nymph, Rusalka, yearning to become human because she has fallen in love with a mortal. David Pountney's highly acclaimed production for English National Opera explores the deeper level of this fairy tale, transforming a pretty story into a penetrating study of childish day dreams. The water-glade becomes an Edwardian nursery and Rusalka, a young girl on the threshold of sexual maturity. Longing to be liberated into the dangerous and fascinating world of adults, she peoples her real world with the creatures of her imagination - her governess becomes a witch, her grandfather the Spirit of the Waters and her sisters the water-nymphs Read less